Grain-drier



'G. CLARK.

Grain Drier.

Patented My 31, 1866;

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UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE,

GEORGE cLARK, or BUFFALO, NEW YORK.

GRAIN-DRIER.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 56,708, dated July 31, 1866.

To' all whom it may concern Be it known that I, GEORGE'CLARK, of the city of Buffalo, in the county of Erie and State of New York, have invented a new and Improved Grrain-Drier; and I do hereby declare that the following is a full, clear, and exact description thereof, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, making a part of this specification,in which Figure I is a vertical section. Fig. II is a front elevation. Fig. III is a transverse section on line a b, Fig. l.

The nature of this invention relates, first, to the construction and arrangement of graindrying perforated cylinders and hot-air ch ainbers in such relation to each other that the hot-air chambers shall be located centrally within a body of grain and the hot air supplied centrally and issue from all parts of the chambers, passing through the body of grain equally and at right angles to the direction of the body of grain passing between the cylinders; second, dividing the grain-space between the perforated cylin ders into two, three, or more chambers, and placing screws through the partitions, so that the grain must pass through these screws, and thereby be turned over or changed in the position of its kernels in reference to the inner and outer cylinders,

and consequently insure all parts of the grain to be acted upon equally by the hot air 5 third, dividing theinner perforated cylinder into two, three, or more hot'air chambers, each chamber being separate and independent of the other, and each having distinct hot-air flues, so that the hot air in eachphamber may be regulated and controlled independently of the other; fourth, to placing and arranging the said perforated cylinders within an outer stack, so that an evaporation-space shall be formed between the larger perforated cylinder and the outer stack, so that the moisture from the grain in each chamber may escape directly into the evaporation-space and be carried off without contact with any other portion of the grain; fifth, to the construction, application, and use of an inner furnace door or valve, opening inwardly, so arranged that it may be closed when the outer furnace-door is opened to supply fuel, and thereby prevent the egress of air from the drier through the furnace when the outer door is opened to supply fuel sixth, to a weighted conical valr'e placed at the top of the drying-cylinders, to insure an equal distribution of the grain into all parts of the grain-space between the cylinders; seventh, to the arrangement of a circle of valves upon a movable disk at the bottom of the grain-cylinders, so that the grain may be drawn off equally from the cylinders.

Letters of like name and kind refer to like partsi'n each of the figures.

A represents the outer stack, which is built of brick or stone, and of any required diameter and height. For an ordinary-sized graindrier this stack may be ten feet in diameter and forty feet in height, and placed upon a permanent foundation.

B represents the larger or outer perforated metal cylinder, and G the inner perforated metal cylinder, arranged within the stack in a manner to leave a grain-space, 1), between them and an evaporationspacc, a, between the outer cylinder and the stack. The upper end of each perforated cylinder is given the form of a frustum of a cone.

The grain-space D is partitioned or divided in to two, three,or more chambers, the partitions being filled with screws E, through which the grain must pass from one chamber to the other, and by its passage through the screws it v,

is turned over or changed in position, so that the hot air will act equally upon it.

F Gr H I J are hot-air chambers, formed within the inner perforated cylinder by the floors or partitions f g h i, and K L M are concentric cylinders or tubes passing through the partitions and opening severally into the chambers for the purpose of conducting hot air into each chamber separately and independently. These tubes each open into the supply hot-air chamber F, and receive hot air therefrom.

There is arranged upon the lower floor or partition, f, a valve-disk, N, which is so constructed that by the requisite movement thereof the hot air may be let into the first chamber,

G, or into either of the other chambers separately, or into all the chambers simultaneously, or into two or more of them simultane ously.

The tube M conducts the hot air into the chamber H, and the tube L into the chamber I, and the tube K into \he chamber J. These valves may be opened or partly opened and closed at pleasure by the attendant by means of the operating-lever O.

A weighted conical valve, P, is placed at the top of the cylinders and at the bottom of the hopper Q, to insure the equal distribution of the grain into all parts of the grainspace between the cylinders. The weight on the valve-lever is sufficient to close the valve before the hopper is entirely emptied, so as to leave a small quantity of grain resting upon the valve.

R represents an elevator-leg of ordinary construction and operation, for elevating the grain to be dried into the top of the drier, and S is a spout for conducting the grain from the elevator-leg to the hopper Q.

T represents a circle of grain-valves, in con nection with a movable disk, T, arranged at the bottom of the drier, so that the body of grain between the cylinders maybe drawn off evenly into the lower reservoir, to, and thence conducted through the spout o to the elevatorleg to be re-elevated, or into other receivingbins.

W represents the furnace for heating air to supply the drier. The heated air is forced into the drier by means of the fan, air-pump, or blower X, passing through the flueY into the first air-chamber, F.

A- heavy pressure of air is maintained in the air-chambers, which would be liable to escape through the furnace when the furnacedoor was opened unless some device was provided to'prevent it, and for this purpose an inner valve or door, Z, is placed at the rear of the furnace, which opens inwardly. When the outward furnace-door, Z, is opened this inner valve closes, and opens when the outward door shuts, so that none of the compressed air within can'escape through the furnace when the outer door is opened to supply the fire with fuel.

At the top of the evaporation-chamber is placed a number of weighted valves, (1, for the escape of the moisture and dust. These valves are weighted so as to open under a given pressure and close when that pressure is withdrawn. It is intended to keep up a high degree of air-pressure within the drier.

Operation: The grain to be dried is carried up by the elevator R and discharged into the hopper Q, and the conical valve 1? has'the effect to spread the grain evenly as it passes out of the hopper, so that it will pass over the conical plane of the inner cylinder in a uniform sheet and fill the grain-chambers D evenly and equally. The hot air being delivered into the chambers F G H I J under great pressure, as before described, will'force its way from the center outwardly through the perforations of the inner cylinder from each chamber, and pass directly through the grain in thechamber D and through the perforations at the outer cylinder into the evaporation-space a, and is thence carried off through the valves a into the free atmosphere. Thus no part of the evaporation from one portion of the grain rises to or is carried into other portions of the grain. The hot-air pressure being centrally within the column of grain in the process of drying, it is forced outwardly in direct lines through the annular column of grain between the drying-cylinders.

Each of the hot-air chambers is independent of the other, as before described, and hence the annular column of grain surrounding the airchambers may be subjected to similar or difi'erent degrees of heat, as may be required.

Some conditions of grain may require it to be run through the drier more than once, and if so the spout Y is directed to the foot of the elevator-leg and re-elevated and run through the drier again and again, as may be required. The grain in some conditions will be sufficiently dried in once passing through. I

What I claim as my invention, and desire to secure by Letters Patent, is-

1. The construction and arrangement of grain-drying perforated cylinders and two or more hot-air chambers in such relation to each other that the hot-air chambers shall be located centrally within the cylinders, the body of grain to be dried being outside of .thechambers, and the hot air supplied centrally to each chamber by means of hot-air conducting-pipes, so as to issue from all parts of the chambers and pass directly through and at right angles, or nearly so, to the'direction of the body of grain passing between the cylinders, substantially as described.

2. Placing and using screws or equivalents in the grain-space between the cylinders, so that the grain must pass through these screws, and thereby be turned over or changed in the position of its kernels in reference to the inner and outer cylinders, and thereby insure all parts of the grain to be acted upon equally by the hot air, substantially as described.

3. Dividing the inner perforated cylinder into two, three, or more hot-air chambers,each chamber being separate and independent of the other, and each having distinct hot-air flues, so that the hot air in each chamber may be regulated and controlled independently of the other, for the purposes and substantially as set forth.

4. Placing and arranging the said perforated cylinders and hot-air chambers within an outer stack, so that an evaporation-space shall be formed between the largercylinder and the outer stack and the evaporation from each chamber be discharged directly therein, substantially as set forth.

5. The construction, application, and use of an inner furnace door or valve, Z, opening 7. In a grain-drier constructed substaninwardly, for the purpose and substantially as tially as herein described, the arrangement described. therewith of the valves T and movable disk 6. A weighted conical valve, P, placed at T, for the purposes set forth. the top of the drying-cylinders to insure an GEORGE CLARK. equal distribution of the grain into all parts Witnesses:

of the graiirdrying space, substantially as de- B. H. MUEHLE, scribed. E. B. FORBUSH. 

